Traveling brain waves help detect hard-to-see objects
From left: Zac Davis, Terrence Sejnowski, Lyle Muller and John Reynolds.

The lab of Professor John Reynolds, together with Professor Terry Sejnowski’s lab, has uncovered details into the neural mechanisms underlying the perception of objects. The team found that patterns of neural signals, called traveling brain waves, which were previously thought to be artifacts of being under anesthesia, also exist in the awake brain and are organized to allow the visual system to perceive objects that are faint or otherwise difficult to see. The findings were published in Nature.
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Honoring the memory of polio vaccine inventor Jonas Salk on his 106th birthday anniversary, during the COVID-19 pandemic

As people across the world anxiously await the promise of an effective vaccine to end the coronavirus pandemic that has killed over 220,000 Americans and more than 1.1 million globally, it is important to remember a time when the world faced similar challenges and, through scientific research, found answers that changed the course of history.
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Joanne Chory wins the 2020 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize
Professor Joanne Chory, who pioneered the application of molecular genetics to plant biology and transformed our understanding of photosynthesis, received the 2020 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize, Rockefeller University's preeminent award recognizing outstanding women scientists. Frances Beinecke, former president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, presented the prize in a virtual ceremony hosted by Rockefeller on October 22.
Physician-scientist Edward Stites receives NIH Director’s New Innovator Award
Assistant Professor Edward Stites has been named an NIH Director’s New Innovator for 2020 as part of the National Institutes of Health’s High-Risk, High-Reward Research Program. The award “supports unusually innovative research from early career investigators,” according to the NIH and provides $1.5 million for a five-year project. For his project, Stites will use mathematical and biological approaches to identify strategies to convert failed therapeutics into effective agents.
Assistant Professor Dannielle Engle awarded over $1 million to study impact of tobacco use on pancreatic cancer
Salk Institute Assistant Professor Dannielle Engle has been awarded a New Investigator Award from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) to examine how tobacco use promotes cellular changes that lead to pancreatic cancer. Engle will receive over $1 million over three years to develop new models for examining how tobacco carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) lead to tumor development and metastasis.
In memoriam: Salk mourns two longtime donors
Longtime Salk donor Paul F. Glenn passed away on September 29, 2020, at his home in Montecito, California. His philanthropic focus was ahead of its time: to fund research that would lead to treatments and therapies to extend the quality of a person’s health during their lifetime. Salk’s Glenn Center was established in January 2009 with a $5 million award from the Glenn Foundation. The Salk Institute extends its heartfelt condolences to the Glenn family and the Glenn Foundation.
 
And this month, longtime Salk donor Tina Simner passed away on October 4 at her home in La Jolla. An accomplished artist, devoted friend and dedicated philanthropist, she provided invaluable support and leadership over the years, particularly to Salk’s Women & Science program. The Institute extends its deepest condolences to the Simner family.
 
Glenn and Simner will be deeply missed. Their partnerships enabled the type of scientific discoveries that change the world for the better, and the Institute’s science is stronger today because of them.
Salk and BridgeBio Pharma Collaborate to Advance Therapies for Genetically Driven Disease
The Salk Institute and BridgeBio Pharma, Inc., announced a three-year collaboration agreement formed to advance cutting-edge academic discoveries in genetically driven diseases toward therapeutic applications. Under the partnership, BridgeBio will help fund research programs from Salk’s world-renowned innovative cancer research, with the eventual goal of developing new therapeutics for patients in need.
Professor Janelle Ayres was featured in “Some people’s bodies learn to live with Covid-19”
Ayres was also cited in “Why people with diabetes are being hit so hard by Covid-19”
Professor Joanne Chory was quoted in “Award-winning scientists offer advice to the next President of the United States”
Professor Ronald Evans celebrated his NOMIS Distinguished Scientist Award
Professor Greg Lemke commented about COVID-19 vaccines on NBC 7
Salk’s Harnessing Plants Initiative is featured in various outlets:
Episode 3 of a PBS series called “The Age of Nature.”
“Carbon-Sucking Bionic Weeds Are New Front in Climate Change War”
“The Weeds that Could Save the World”
Enjoy Salk architecture on your devices

Looking for a unique background image for your computer, Zoom meeting, iPad or phone?

This month’s image is of the iconic Salk courtyard showcasing the shadows and reflections that happen at certain times of the day.
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